PATTERN RECOGNITION FOR TECHNICAL
COMMUNICATORS
Kai Weber
@techwriterkai
STC Summit, 23 May 2012
PROGRAM
1. Who am I and what do I know?
2. What is pattern recognition?
3. Why should tech communicators care?
4. The pattern recognition experience
5. Pattern recognition in technical communication
WHAT IS PATTERN RECOGNITION?
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, 8 January 2010:
Paul Kulniszewski‘s breakfast orange on Christmas 2009http://lockportjournal.com/local/x306495538/VISION-Resident-cuts-orange-open-and-sees-image-of-Jesus-and-Mary/
WHAT IS PATTERN RECOGNITION?
Part of human perception:
1. Receive sensation and organize it.
2. Recognize patterns.
3. Formalize patterns as rules to interpret and decide.
HOW ABOUT AN EXAMPLE?
Aardvark, J.R. (1980). Ants, and how to eat them. Journal of Orycteropodidae Studies, 80, 11-17.
Barker, R. (1982). Rum babas, and what to do if you’ve got them. Reading: Goodnight From Him.
Haley, W. (1955). Rock Around The Clock. New York: Decca.
Izzard, E. (1998). Cake or Death? Gateaunomics, 10, 195-196.
Lemur, R.-T. (2010). Strepsirrhinoplasty. Antananarivo: Raft Press.
Leonard, E. (1996). Out of Sight. New York: Harper.
Shorty, G. (in press). Okay, so they got me. Los Angeles: Cadillac.
HOW ABOUT AN EXAMPLE?
Aardvark, J.R. (1980). Ants, and how to eat them. Journal of Orycteropodidae Studies, 80, 11-17.
Barker, R. (1982). Rum babas, and what to do if you’ve got them. Reading: Goodnight From Him. …
Rule set
1. Last name, initial(s). (Year of publication).
2. If it’s an article: Title, journal title, volume, pages.
3. If it’s a book: Title. City: Publisher.
We learn patterns by examples – or by rules.
WHY SHOULD TECH COMMUNICATORS CARE?
We do it anyway…
1. When we gather information Reading specs and designs Interviewing subject-matter experts
2. When we create and order information Write topics Structure topics into deliverables
WHY SHOULD TECH COMMUNICATORS CARE?
We do it anyway, so we might as well do it smartly!
If we make sense of our subject more efficiently…
If we structure better what we need to convey…
… we can provide better documentation!
THE PATTERN RECOGNITION EXPERIENCE IN SPACE
Photo by Santiago Masquelet Photo by Jure Šućurhttp://www.sxc.hu/photo/1001312http://www.sxc.hu/photo/784032
THE PATTERN RECOGNITION EXPERIENCE IN SPACE
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THE PATTERN RECOGNITION EXPERIENCE IN SPACE
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THE PATTERN RECOGNITION EXPERIENCE IN SPACE
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THE PATTERN RECOGNITION EXPERIENCE IN SPACE
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Installation
Reference Paid version
Free version
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THE PATTERN RECOGNITION EXPERIENCE IN TIME
Photo by Richard Cop
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/326144
THE PATTERN RECOGNITION EXPERIENCE IN TIME
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THE PATTERN RECOGNITION EXPERIENCE IN TIME
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HOW DOES PATTERN RECOGNITION WORK?
Bottom-up processing
1. Experience and organize
2. Match similarities
3. Segment into groups
… building up a representation from elements.
HOW DOES PATTERN RECOGNITION WORK?
What is this? How do you know?
HOW DOES PATTERN RECOGNITION WORK?
Top-down processing
1. Know general concept and rules
2. Contextualize them
3. Apply them
… searching for confirmation by “template matching”.
HOW DOES PATTERN RECOGNITION WORK?
Top-down
Uses prior knowledge
Concepts elements
Emphasizes context
Quick, but sometimes wrong
Bottom-up
No prior knowledge
Elements concepts
Emphasizes relations
Slow, but usually correct
HOW DOES PATTERN RECOGNITION WORK?
Martin Boyce:Untitled, 2002.http://www.mmk-frankfurt.de/de/sammlung/werkdetailseite/?werk=2002%2F112
What is this? It’s part of a chair!
HOW DOES PATTERN RECOGNITION WORK?
Martin Boyce: Arne Jacobsen:Untitled, 2002. Chair 3107, c.1952.http://www.mmk-frankfurt.de/de/sammlung/werkdetailseite/?werk=2002%2F112 http://www.moma.org/explore/collection/index
HOW DOES PATTERN RECOGNITION WORK?
Top-down
Uses prior knowledge
Concepts elements
Emphasizes context
Quick, but sometimes wrong
Bottom-up
No prior knowledge
Elements concepts
Emphasizes relations
Slow, but usually correct
PATTERN RECOGNITION IN TECH COMM
To make sense of unknown subject matter
To overcome tech writer’s block and start writing
To chunk topics
To find reuse opportunities
To help your readers navigate and understand
PATTERN RECOGNITION IN TECH COMM
To make sense of unknown subject matter
Scattered, unreliable, incomplete information?
Gather all pieces
Match similarities and templates
Group into segments
PATTERN RECOGNITION IN TECH COMM
To make sense of unknown subject matter
Structured legacy documentation?
Test structure and completeness
Analyze features
PATTERN RECOGNITION IN TECH COMM
To overcome writer’s block and start writing
Incomplete, inconsistent information?
Start bottom-up with similar items as “seeds”.
To chunk topics
Similar topics?
PATTERN RECOGNITION IN TECH COMM
Coffee 3000 User Manual
1. About good coffee1.1 The Coffee 30001.2 Suitable coffee roasts1.3 Water quality and temperature
2. Brewing good coffee2.1 Set up Coffee 30002.2 Make espresso2.3 Make caffe latte2.4 Make cappuccino
Coffee 3000 User Manual
1. The Coffee 3000 machine1.1 Introduction1.2 Buying the right coffee1.3 Water descaling
2. Coffee maker2.1 Functions and features2.2 Espresso2.3 Foaming milk2.4 Making cappuccino
To find reuse opportunities
Similar topics?
Identify how you can segment information for reuse.
PATTERN RECOGNITION IN TECH COMM
Make cappuccino
1. Make espresso.2. Foam milk.3. Sprinkle with cocoa.…
Coffee 3000 User Manual
1. About good coffee1.1 The Coffee 30001.2 Suitable coffee roasts1.3 Water quality and temperature
2. Brewing good coffee2.1 Set up Coffee 30002.2 Make espresso2.3 Make caffe latte2.4 Make cappuccino
PATTERN RECOGNITION IN TECH COMM
To help your readers navigate
Coffee 3000 User Manual
1. About good coffee1.1 The Coffee 30001.2 Suitable coffee roasts1.3 Water quality and temperature
2. Brewing good coffee2.1 Set up Coffee 30002.2 Make espresso2.3 Make caffe latte2.4 Make cappuccino
PATTERN RECOGNITION IN TECH COMM
To help your readers navigate and understand.
Segment and structure topics.
Phrase headings in a consistent, recognizable way.
Table of contents is top-down.
Search and index are bottom-up, template matching aids.
FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE AND WARNING
Patternicity: Humans are addicted to meaning.
Some patterns refuse to be recognized
Pattern recognition occurs in contexts
Creating tech comm is often a top-down process … ... but using it is often bottom-up searching!
THANK YOU! KEEP IN TOUCH!
kaiweber.wordpress.com
@techwriterkai